66 sessions of fitness gymnastics for the elderly

The 66-session fitness gymnastics exercise for the elderly is one of the most popular and widely adaptable full-body aerobics for middle-aged and elderly people in China. Adhering to scientific exercises can improve joint flexibility and cardiopulmonary endurance, and has a clear positive effect on alleviating common shoulder, neck, waist and leg pain and decreased balance ability in the elderly. However, it is not suitable for all elderly groups. Before practicing, you must adjust the intensity of the movements according to your own physical condition, and avoid blindly following the exercises.

The fitness team in the small square downstairs of my house changed its regular program to 66 sessions last fall. Before, they danced square dances with fast rhythm and many jumping movements. Many aunties with degenerative knee diseases could not keep up. After changing the exercises, the number of people signing up increased from more than 20 to almost 60 in three months. Don't tell me, this exercise does have its advantages: the full set of movements covers the neck, shoulders, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles from top to bottom. There are no running or jumping movements, and the impact on the joints is almost negligible. Even an 80-year-old man can keep up with most of the movements as long as he can stand firm. My grandma is 78 years old and has frozen shoulder. At first she could only lift her arms up to her chest. She was so anxious that she told me that she was holding back the whole team. I advised her to lift as much as she could without comparing herself to others. Now after half a year of training, she can raise her arms above her shoulders and even puts on a pullover without the help of my grandfather.

Interestingly, the team had a quarrel last month about how to practice this exercise. Coach Wang, who leads the team, is a retired teacher from the Sports Institute. He has always insisted on following the general standards promoted by the State Sports General Administration in 2018: the body rotation movement must be turned 45 degrees, the kick must be raised at least to the hip, and the hand must be raised above the head. Otherwise, the muscles and joints will not be stretched enough, and the training will be in vain. However, several aunties in the team who had undergone knee replacements and several elderly people with chronic high blood pressure were not happy. They said that turning too hard made them dizzy and raising their legs too high caused knee pain. They privately changed the movements themselves: turning 20 degrees when turning, and raising legs 10 centimeters for fun. Some people also adjusted the original tempo of 120 beats per minute to 90 beats, which is comfortable to do slowly.

I specifically asked the rehabilitation therapist at the community hospital before, and they said that both statements are correct, and there is no standard answer. The current consensus in the sports medicine community on elderly fitness is that safety takes precedence over effectiveness. Elderly people with good joint conditions and no underlying diseases can indeed achieve better exercise results by following the standard. ； But if you have high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, or joint damage, even if the range of motion is only one-third of the standard, as long as you can move, it will be better than sitting still. Survey data from the China Seniors Sports Association in 2023 can also confirm this: For the elderly who regularly practice 66 sections of fitness gymnastics, the proportion of those who do not meet the balance ability is 37% lower than those who do not practice, and the incidence of shoulder and neck discomfort is 42% lower. However, there are also 12% of practitioners who have suffered joint strains and transient dizziness because they blindly pursue movement standards and insist on doing movements that they cannot complete.

Many people tend to get into trouble when they first start practicing. I have seen many old people practice on an empty stomach in the morning. After practicing, they sweat all over and immediately drink cold water. Aunt Zhang from the team downstairs stepped on this trap last year. When she was practicing kicking in slippers, she slipped and sprained her foot for half a month. Later, she specially bought soft-soled walking shoes. Before each practice, she would stand on the side for 5 minutes to warm up, rotate her wrists and ankles, move her shoulders, and walk slowly for ten minutes after practice before going home. Now even her old cold legs that used to hurt when going up and down stairs have been relieved a lot.

I passed by the square yesterday evening and saw Coach Wang holding a small book and registering the physical conditions of the new seniors one by one: whether they have high blood pressure, whether they have a history of joint surgery, and whether they can stand on their own. He then divided them into different groups. He also modified the original standard exercises into several versions: an enhanced version for those who are in good health, a basic version for those with underlying diseases, and a seated version specially prepared for elderly people with inconvenient legs and feet who need crutches. You can practice upper body movements while sitting on a stone bench. There is no standard that applies to everyone. The 66 sessions that make you feel comfortable, not injured, and able to persist after practicing are the most suitable for you.